The 76ers put up a much more valiant fight in Game 2 against the Knicks, but one of their final shots was not at all ideal in the closing seconds of a game they had a chance to win to tie the conference semifinal series.
With the Knicks up by five points as 30 seconds remained on the clock, Paul George got the look after a dribble handoff from VJ Edgecombe and launched an off-balanced, heavily contested 3-pointer.
It was an airball that eventually led to the 76ers’ 108-102 loss at Madison Square Garden and Quentin Grimes took issue with that in what became a viral moment.
Following the shot, Grimes confronted George about his shot selection when the 76ers had 18 more seconds on the shot clock to find a better look. The nine-time All-Star seemingly defended his decision.
Grimes walked away looking deflated and disappointed at the lost opportunity.
However, George’s shot wasn’t the one thing that sealed the loss for Philadelphia.
The 76ers struggled as a group in the fourth quarter, scoring just 12 points versus the Knicks’ final 19 on the board. They shot just 21.1 percent in the fourth quarter.
They scored at least 28 points in all the previous quarters.
“I thought we just might’ve ran out of gas a little bit in the fourth,” George said after the game. “We could’ve did a better job of getting some easier ones, but I think we did just run out of gas a little bit in the fourth.”
The 36-year-old finished the night with 19 points, shooting just 5-for-13 from beyond the arc. He also logged six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
Grimes, a fifth-year guard and former Knick, came off the bench to score seven points while adding three rebounds, three assists and one steal.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday where the 76ers will try to get their first win of the series.
“We like where we’re at. We played good defense, I thought, all the way until the fourth quarter,” George said. “We just didn’t make shots, but a lot of positives coming out of the game tonight.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
